Programmes

Our Mockingbird programme is growing rapidly, with new constellations (fostering households gathered around a hub home which offers planned and emergency respite, advice, training and support) popping up across the country. One of the unexpected joys of the programme is the emergence of the important role played by ‘hub animals’: pets that were part of the household before the family took on the role of the hub home and have now become a much loved member of the wider constellation family. The presence of these animals within the hub home adds to the variety of experiences for children and young people - and often provides another important relationship to support young people to learn new skills and confidences. We are collecting some great stories about the impact of pets living in the satellite homes – with some even accompanying children and young people at sleepovers in the hub home!

Kirk Hawksworth is a senior supervising social worker for TACT (The Adolescent and Children’s Trust) and has been delivering Fostering Changes training in recent years as part of the Confidence in Care Consortium. He is the lead facilitator for the trust under this initiative and also has an active caseload of foster carers.

There are times in life when all of us need a bit of support. Step Up Step Down is an innovative pilot programme of support care, funded by the Big Lottery’s Reaching Out, Supporting Families initiative, which The Fostering Network delivers in partnership with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland.

In this blog, Jade Irwin - programme officer for Step Up Step Down (pictured below with other staff and volunteers) - tells us more about the impact of the programme.

Mockingbird is an innovative programme for delivering foster care which can bring significant benefits to the lives of fostered children and those who look after them. Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has been part of the programme since its inception in 2015.